SAN FRANCISCO MOVES EAST? Owensboro’s Fairness Ordinance- Part II

Back in August, I wrote about the Owensboro City Commission contemplating the adoption of a fairness ordinance, which would ban discrimination in regards to sexual orientation and gender identity in Owensboro, Kentucky. The idea of such an ordinance was brought forth by Owensboro’s Human Relations Commission.

On the opposite end, Richard Nelson of the Commonwealth Policy Center brought forth several questions regarding the proposed ordinance, including whether or not such an ordinance is necessary, how many cases of discrimination involving sexual orientation or gender identity have occurred in Owensboro, and defining sexual orientation and gender identity.

Such questions were mentioned in an email he sent to me (along with my fellow Tea Party members). I then forwarded this email to Owensboro’ city officials, as well as the Bishop of the Diocese of Owensboro. I also forwarded the email to my priests, the deacon, and the religious education director of my parish. In the email, I expressed my concern about the impact such an ordinance would have throughout Owensboro, i.e. I did not want Owensboro to wind up like San Francisco (which is virtually controlled by the gay community).

At a City Commission meeting two weeks later, people on both ends of the spectrum voiced their opinion on the proposed Fairness Ordinance, including Richard Nelson and member of the Kentucky Fairness Coalition. Due to the number of people who spoke about the proposed ordinance, Mayor Ron Payne (realizing the controversy surrounding the issue) decided to table the matter for a year because “things need to cool down,” much to the disappointment of those who supported the ordinance. He also stated that city officials would do some research on how such ordinances have worked in other Kentucky cities that have adopted them. These cities consist of Danville, Lexington, Louisville, Covington, Frankfort, Morehead, and Vicco.

Needless to say, there has been controversy. Many people on both sides have written letters to the Messenger-Inquirer (the local newspaper) about the proposed Fairness Ordinance. Meanwhile, those who support the ordinance have shown up at City Commission meetings or written letters to the Messenger-Inquirer demanding that the ordinance be passed immediately.

In the midst of the controversy, an odd event took place. One of my fellow Tea Party members somehow got a text from an individual who apparently was in favor of the Fairness Ordinance. It is unclear how or why this text was received (perhaps it was sent in error, or it might have originated with a previous text being sent to the wrong person on either end). At any rate, the text contained the following message: “what would ISIS do?”

I’m not sure why someone supporting an ordinance banning discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity would drag ISIS into the matter. But a response was sent stating that ISIS would kill everyone within the LGBT community (given Islam’s views of homosexuality).

In conclusion, I am hoping and praying that the Owensboro City Commission will not adopt the proposed Fairness Ordinance, because doing so would in all likelihood result in Owensboro winding up like San Francisco. For more information on the gays being in control of San Francisco, read the book When the Wicked Seize a City by Chuck McIlhenny, Donna McIlhenny, and Frank York.

About the author: Andrew Linn

Andrew Linn is a member of the Owensboro Tea Party and a former Field Representative for the Media Research Center. An ex-Democrat, he became a Republican one week after the 2008 Presidential Election. He has an M.A. in history from the University of Louisville, where he became a member of the Phi Alpha Theta historical honors society. He has also contributed to examiner.com and Right Impulse Media.